Ben’s Story: AWS re/Start

“The generation bootcamp has changed my life completely,”

Ben (21) joined the AWS re/Start programme – a 12 week bootcamp to become a cloud computing engineer from no tech experience – in Scotland in March 2022.  He had no educational qualifications and had never worked. Ben struggled to find the right opportunities after being kicked out of school at 15 and found it difficult to secure a job. 

Ben was unemployed for over 12 months before the programme and when he started he was nervous, lacking confidence, without a degree and professional work experience. He didn’t think there was hope of reaching his ambition and securing a tech job in a competitive field.

“When I first applied for the course I didn’t think I would be given a place due to my background but was happy when I was told I was accepted. I didn’t think my lack of qualifications would affect me until the first 2 weeks when I heard about how a lot of people in my cohort had been to college.”

Ben struggled with his confidence lacking a degree and professional experience; 

“It seemed too good to be true… I was questioning whether there was truly an opportunity for someone like me.”

46% of AWS participants do not have a degree and still go on to secure roles in tech with average starting annual salaries of £26,442. Furthermore, 92% of AWS participants graduated, and 75% secured vacancies.

Despite these challenges, Ben progressed rapidly through the course, enjoyed the learning experience and flourished with the support of his mentors; 

“I didn’t feel like I struggled with the learning [not having a degree], but at the start there was definitely a thought in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t get any opportunities due to my background when compared with those around me, but through applying myself and putting my all into the bootcamp I showed my true capabilities and was successful in the end.”

“The structured learning was brilliant and my instructor did a great job at explaining all of the technical concepts, it was the first time I had actually enjoyed an educational environment in my life.”

“The support I received was amazing, our mentors did an amazing job supporting us and preparing us for interviews and the partnerships manager did an outstanding job getting a group of great employers who were excited to hear our stories and give us opportunities we wouldn’t find anywhere else.

The topic I enjoyed most was the AWS section, since I had no experience with the cloud and knew very little of it. I also enjoyed getting to know everyone in my cohort and am still in contact with a few people I met through Generation.”

When asked to describe the bootcamp in one word Ben replied “Rewarding”.

“It’s 12 weeks of intense learning, 12 weeks of coming out of your comfort zone and really proving yourself but in the end you will be so glad you [did] it, everyone in my cohort who I have spoken to after graduating has nothing but good things to say about their experience.”

My mum used to worry a lot about my future and I put her through a lot of stress. She was over the moon when she saw I was dedicating myself to 12 weeks of learning and was ecstatic when I told her I had been hired just weeks after finishing the bootcamp.”

“Lack of a degree means nothing when taking part in a generation bootcamp, if you believe in yourself you will go far and generation has opportunities for you if you are willing to apply yourself and put the work in. If someone like me with no qualifications and no work experience can make something of myself, you can too.”

“You will not find an opportunity like this from anyone else in the UK, a paid bootcamp won’t give you the opportunities Generation has, a 3 year degree has no guarantee of employment at the end of it but Generation will help you achieve your goals and knock down any barriers you have faced in the past, it’s also completely free so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Ben graduated in June 2022 and has since successfully gained a position as an Associate Consultant Analyst at GlobalLogic, through an interview organised by Generation. GlobalLogic are a digital product engineering company with offices worldwide. Ben is responsible for working with cloud technologies on projects for clients and uses skills he learnt in the course every day. 

“The generation bootcamp has changed my life completely, not only am I confident in a professional environment but I am also in a job I never thought I would be able to get into a few months ago.”

Ben is just one of the many young people in Scotland out of work – >13% excluding those in full-time education. And Ben is just one of 475 who have graduated from a Generation AWS cloud computing bootcamp. Over 90% of those who start the course complete it and over 75% who complete it find jobs with a life-changing average placement salary >£26k/year.  >96% of learners finish the course feeling more positive about their future.

Generation is delighted to share Ben’s story – a life-changed by profession-specific bootcamp training, mentorship and matchmaking to real interviews with employers for real roles.